Simple Elderberry Jam (3 Ingredients)

If you’re looking for a homemade delicious and simple Elderberry Jam recipe with seeds and no pectin added, then you’ve come to the right place!

Elderberries are one of these late summer offerings and these can make a fab jam, jelly, or syrup. Elderberry jam is one of those jams I grew up with but never fully appreciated until adulthood.

I love seasonal food and how wonderful that each season has something nice to offer us. Take a bag or a basket and go foraging. My favorite activity ever. We certainly need to exploit that and embrace what nature has got to offer.

I love this wonderful shrub because it treats us twice a year, once in the spring and once in the summer (end of August time). How generous!

My mum used to always push us to eat some as it's good for immunity and keeps colds away etc., etc. We never really listened to or believed any of it. It was not our favorite jam then but it definitely is now. I am really glad my kids like it. She always used to make Easy Elderflower Cordial so she made sure to make the most of this plant and its offerings.

Jump to:

• 💭 How to pick and prepare the elderberries?
• 🤷🏻‍♀️ What are elderberries?
• 💚 Benefits of elderberries
• 🔪 How to make elderberry jam
• 🔁 Substitutions
• 🤹‍♂️ Variations
• ❗️5 ways to thicken jam
• 📦 Storage
• ❓FAQs
• 🧂Best sugar options to use when making jam
• 📌 Cook's tips
• 👪 Serving suggestions:
• 📋 Other recipes to consider…
• 🫐 Simple Elderberry Jam (3 Ingredients)

💭 How to pick and prepare the elderberries?

It is generally an easy process, however, there are a few things that are good to know before going foraging.

How to pick the elderberries?

Since the elderberry tree grows quite a bit and can reach heights of 6-7m (20 feet), it can be quite handy to have a telescopic lopper with you. Dark clothes, gloves and a bag that stays open or a bucket will be very handy and a great idea too.

Simply get the clusters cut off and that is all you need to pick.

How to prepare the elderberries?

The easiest and probably the quickest way to remove elderberries from the stem is by running a fork through them. It takes me about 10 minutes to do this for this quantity of berries.

If your clusters of elderberries contain totally ripe berries you are lucky and the process will be much easier.

However, if there are unripe brighter red or green berries you’ll need to remove these before you run a fork over, it is just easier.

You then need to rinse and drain the berries a few times. Be sure to pick out any raw berries, stems, or leaf bits. It can be a bit of a laborious affair but make it relaxing and fun, get the kids to help if patience isn't your thing.

🤷🏻‍♀️ What are elderberries?

Elderberries are clever little berries as I always said to my kids and they loved the idea, haha. They grow in clusters of dark purple/black berries on an Elderberry Tree (known as Sambucas nigra), appear early-mid August, and last until the end of September or even October. Prior to the berries come elderflowers which are sweet and fragrant.

💚 Benefits of elderberries

Elderberry is a super powerful little berry, jam-packed with antioxidants, and well known for its protective effects against viruses. A very smart little berry indeed since the flavonoids contained in these trick flu viruses by binding to the proteins on their viral envelopes. Those agile proteins are the ones that viruses use to bind to our cells and cause infection. Once these get successfully deceived, the viruses are deactivated from reproducing in the body and get effortlessly flushed out by our body's natural immune defenses. Clever berries, right?

They also contain tonnes of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folate, calcium, potassium, and iron. Elderberries are a fabulous source of fiber.

🔪 How to make elderberry jam

Making this jam is easy and it will require a little time and a few steps for preparations like picking the actual berries, washing them and getting them off the stems, sterilizing the jars, and the actual jam making. It is all fun, believe me especially if you team up with your kids, hubby, or some friends that would be interested in a day out.

🔁 Substitutions

Here is what I do sometimes or I make sure I have a version of these at least. Only for myself since my kids do love their jam made with sugar but I do like alternatives. I particularly love the honey option.

• Low-carb - instead of cane sugar use a sweetener of your choice - and I recommend a healthier option such as stevia, sucralose, erythritol, xylitol, or monk fruit sweetener.

• Honey - give the fruits a boil for a good 10 min or so drain off any juices (which you may keep to make a jelly or add to a refreshment drink or even a rainbow pancake for color or flavor) and then add the fruit to honey. Keep refrigerated and serve on toast or simply as a treat.
• Sugar-free - use stevia and my recommendation is to add ½ teaspoon of stevia for every cup of fruit

🤹‍♂️ Variations

Other elderberry combinations can be made:

❗️5 ways to thicken jam

Whether you want to ensure you have a thick jam from the beginning or fix a runny jam, here's what you can do:

1. Add chia seeds to the recipe. This will require no cooking. Just add one or two tablespoons of chia seeds for every 300g jam (a larger jar). The chia seeds soak up the juice and moisture and give a thick texture effect to the jam without using heat or added sugar or pectin. Think of it as a chia seed pudding made with fruit and not milk.

2. Use cornstarch. Cornstarch is a common thickening agent for jams, sauces, soups, and glazes. This will make the jam a little cloudy but will not alter the taste. Mix cornstarch with water to create a slurry, then add it to the jam mixture right at the end and bring it to a boil. The jam should thicken very quickly.

3. Commercial pectin. Elderberries are low-pectin fruits so adding a little pectin will help the jam set and keep a nice clear and vibrant color. Pectin normally comes in powder or liquid form, the liquid being the most common.

• For the powdered pectin - add this to the fruit before heating the jam. Bring the jam to a rolling or hard boil which means you can’t stir down the bubbles. This will need to be done over high heat and then add the additional sugar.
• For liquid pectin- bring the fruit to a boil first and then add the liquid pectin.

4. Use gelatin - this comes in sheets or powder form. The easiest method is to soften sheets of gelatin in hot water and then add them to the jam as it cooks. Alternatively, dissolve powdered gelatin in warm water and add it to the cooking jam.

5. Reduce it on the stovetop. It is my preferred option and if you use regular sugar, I normally reduce the sugar and water to a thick syrup and then add the fruit and cook it until the jam starts to reduce.

📦 Storage

• Once the jam is completely cool, store it in a cool dark place like a pantry cupboard or cellar. Once opened, store in the fridge and eat within a few months.
• Jam is best if eaten in the first year but will last for many, many years. It also depends on how much sugar you add and if the lid has hermetically closed and it's not a faulty one. I always check my jam by looking to see if no air has gone in. How do I know air has gone in? You will see fungi on top after a while which means that the jar has to be opened, cleaned by removing a good layer from the top, and taken for consumption.

❓FAQs

🧂Best sugar options to use when making jam

Type of Sugar	Good To Use For Making Jam?
Coarse Granulated Sugar	YES - the best option
Splenda	YES but best used in low-pectin jam recipes
Unprocessed Cane Sugar	YES
Brown Sugar	YES
Fine Granulated Sugar	NO
Truvia	NO 'Baking Blend' only
Powdered Sugar	NO